Belief is...Not Enough

Belief is an intriguing concept; at least, the way we usually perceive it. Beliefs infiltrate every aspect of our lives—our worldviews, relationships, personalities, reactions, behavioral tendencies, and dreams. They grip us (though we think we’re gripping them), and we live by them more than we’d like to admit.
Example: we believe our best friend is dating a moron. That simple belief (true or not) influences our thoughts, behaviors, actions, and our relationship with our friend. It even spills over to other friends to make them agree with us!
Small or big, trivial or life-changing, beliefs dye our lives with their color and slant. We can’t escape them; they don’t let go easily. Old ones are replaced with new ones; they never go away.
Beliefs also fight for our attention. Constantly. Our perspectives undergo major jilting by the media, our jobs, families, friends, and religious persuasions. Everyone and everything vies for us to buy into what they’re selling. And yes, this includes churches.
Every weekend pulpits stuff themselves with pastors shouting a message they want their congregation to believe. Truth often finds itself embedded in the diatribes, but unfortunately, such an observation cannot be aptly assumed.
What they (pastors along with everyone else) want is the action that accompanies our belief. We’re no good to them hiding in the philosophical crevices that captivate our minds. They want action—a.k.a. belief on display.
Action, however, is only one component to belief. Belief is tripartite:
1) Intellectual comprehension of a stated notion (understanding/knowledge)
2) Personal assertion to that notion, and (faith/trust)
3) A willingness to act on that assertion.  (action)
Belief combines all three of these components. We don’t (or shouldn’t) act according to something we don’t personally assert to; nor do we intellectually comprehend something then assert to a theory that defies it. To believe is to know/understand, assert, and then act on a notion.
That’s what it means to believe in something. When that something is God’s truth; we’re on the right track.
Belief, though exercising intellect and decisions, often fails experientially. We may do right and get the approval of others, but fail to experience the truth we’re trying to desperately to believe. We can believe that God is good, for instance, all day long. We can intellectually comprehend it, personally assert to its truth, and base our actions on that assertion. But how do we actually experience what we believe? How does God’s goodness penetrate our hearts to the extent that it grips our emotions as well as our minds? Before we get to the “how to” let’s look at the “how NOT to do.”
James 2:19 states, “You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe and shudder.”
Heavy, eh? The most gut-wrenchingly evil beings in existence believe in God. They know He’s just, righteous, holy, and powerful. They intellectually comprehend those facts, personally assert to their truth, and base their actions on it. (They’re actions are wrong, of course, but they’re actions nonetheless.) So what do we need that demons don’t have to experience God’s truth appropriately in our lives???
(Ode to another formula, though I’m not a formula fan...)
Belief + Surrender = Experience
Belief without surrender is like a sky diver who never leaves the plane. It remains all up in the head (plane) without reaching the heart being enticed into action. The action accommodating belief alone is robotic and methodical. Or is never reached at all because the knowledge and/or faith aren’t that strong. Or it’s the demon kind, going against it as hard and fast as possible.
Intellectual assertion paves the road of experiential belief, but it doesn’t get the driver there. Surrender is the fuel that propels us toward experiencing the Gospel, not just “getting” it.
Genuine, life-transforming Gospel experiences only occur when we surrender to the truth He’s led us to believe. Truth manifests itself experientially when paired with a surrendered heart. It won’t force itself on us, nor will it obnoxiously banter us until noticed. Rather, it gently woos and waits for us to understand/believe, then surrender to it.
Fall into His Gospel daily. Don’t just study, philosophize, argue, and run around it. Immerse yourself in its truth with belief, then fall off the cliff of surrender into its welcoming glory.